“The intellectual enterprise which bears the traditional title of ‘dogmatics’ takes place within the Christian Church. It is this that distinguishes it from similar intellectual undertakings, especially within the sphere of philosophy, as that is usually understood. Our immediate concern is not to ask whether this particular undertaking is legitimate, useful, or necessary. The first thing we have to say about it is that it is closely connected with the existence of the Christian Church, and that it arises only within this sphere. We study dogmatics as members of the Church, with the consciousness that we have a commission from the Church, and a service to render to the Church.”

“To do theology is to actualize Christian truth, or, better, to set it forth in its actuality and to understand it afresh thereby. To that extent theology is by nature, and not merely in its pedagogical implications, historical. It has nothing whatever to do with timeless truth. Hence there can be no timeless or supratemporal theology (theologia perennis).”

The term, “dogmatics,” is not to be confused with the common pejorative of “being dogmatic,” indicating someone who is closed-minded and uncritical. Dogmatics simply means “theology,” especially in European usage, and it derives from the word, “dogma,” indicating the beliefs of Christians. According to Herman Bavinck:

The word dogma denotes that which is definite, that which has been decided, and is therefore fixed. …The use of the word dogma teaches us, in the first place, that a wide range of commands, decisions, truths, propositions and rules for living can be denoted by it. Nonetheless, the element that they all have in common is that dogma consistently stands for something that is established and not subject to doubt. [Reformed Dogmatics, pp. 28-29]

The dogma upon which dogmatics is founded is the unique, once-for-all revelation of the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ, through whom and for whom all things were made (Colossians 1:15-20). The termdogmaticsis often used interchangeably withsystematic theologyordoctrine.

As a “systematic theology,” this knowledge of God is given an orderly presentation, with the aid of categorical headings or loci (meaning “places”). Thus, systematic theology will discern the doctrine of God (Trinity), the knowledge of God (epistemology), the doctrine of man (anthropology), the doctrine of Christ (Christology), the atonement through Christ (soteriology), the church of Christ (ecclesiology), and the last things (eschatology). No particular topic can be isolated from the others. Especially, the existence of God as a Trinity — and the triune form of divine revelation — should form the interpretive grid in which to comprehend and express all other doctrines. All of these loci are conceptual “places” where the teaching of the Church can be delineated for the elucidation of each part.

As Christian “doctrine,” this becomes the instruction of the Church for her members. The knowledge of God is the chief end of dogmatic theology, but this knowledge is received in the context of an encounter with the living God. Therefore, this knowledge should issue forth in spiritual fruit, namely the love and obedience that is enacted in God’s triune self-movement toward us.

As the Church has progressed, her teachings have required certain demarcations in order to remain faithful to Jesus Christ. Thus, the Church has been responsible for proper distinctions in the person of Christ: his humanity and deity, his relation to the Father, and his sending of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the Church has been responsible for rightly proclaiming the work of Christ: his fulfillment of Israel’s covenant and reconciling the faithful, both Jew and Gentile.

Western Dogmatic Theology

In the West, the Church has been divided between Roman Catholics and Evangelical Protestants for the last five centuries. The Catholic dogmatic tradition has its principal exponent in St. Thomas Aquinas (13th century), especially with his Summa Theologica. The Council of Trent and the subsequent Roman Catechism (16th century) are both heavily influenced by Thomas, giving much (but not all) of his formulations a normative place in Catholic dogmatics. The Protestant dogmatic tradition can largely be divided between Lutherans and Calvinists (=Reformed). Luther’s exegetical work and occasional treatises enlivened the Reformation and provided its greatest inspiration. During this period, the finest systematic articulation of the Protestant faith was John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion (final edition, 1559).